1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a plug-in electrical connector for electrically connecting one or more insulated first conductors to corresponding second conductors, use being made of electrical terminals carried by slide members slidably connected with the connector body. The slide member is slidably displaceable from a first position relative to the connector in which the conductor may be inserted in a transverse bore contained in the slide member, to a second position at which self-tapping cutting contacts at one end of the electrical terminal server the insulation and electrically engage the center conductor. At the other end, the electrical terminal includes female plug-in contacts for connection with the associated second conductor.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
One problem that is frequently encountered in connecting electrical connectors is that which occurs when a large number of different first conductors, for example, from a cable tree or the like, are to be connected with suitable plug-in connectors associated with a corresponding sub-assembly.
Along with conventional soldering and screw techniques, it is been proposed to provide ribbon cables as well as so-called insulation displacement connections, by means of which one can electrically contact and mechanically fasten a large number of single conductors of a ribbon cable simultaneously with a correspondingly equipped plug-in connector.
Such a specific plug-in connector is shown in the German patent No. DE-28 35 316 C2, wherein a plug-in connector is used with a multi-wire ribbon cable having a basic plug-in connector that protrudes therefrom with a cover and with a locking device that has parallel supports protruding away from the cover with stops and a locking clip at the end of the basic part, each of which has two arms that extend upwardly from the basic part that are connected with each other by a cross piece, while the locking device facilitates a preassembled position in a locked position of the cover with respect to the basic part. In the cover, there is provided a slip for the reception of the ribbon cable along with openings for the reception of the conductors, while the ends of the connectors in the preassembled position are enclosed by the openings and when in the locked position protrude through the slip. Thus, the idea is to ensure that the connectors will not be bent or damaged prior to assembly with the ribbon cable. Furthermore, on each support, there are provided a pair of stops that are spaced apart and which, in the preassembled position, receive the cross piece between themselves, while when, in the locked position, they are underneath the cross piece. Furthermore, the slip for reception of the ribbon cable has opposite surfaces with notch-like detents.
The disadvantage inherent in such a connector for ribbon cables is that the guide and locking of the cover with relation to the basic housing takes place exclusively in the front areas of the plug-in connector, because the interior area cannot be provided with guide elements owing to the space required for insertion thereof. Consequently, the guide as well as the locking of the plug in the plug-in connector is extremely difficult, and because of the small dimensions of the guide devices owing to the space problems, reliable guidance of the cover is not provided. More particularly, the guide and locking elements of the cover can break off or otherwise be damaged, whereby reliable assembly is no longer guaranteed with the help of guides nor can the cover be fixed in position on the basic housing.
In the published German application No. DE OS 25 45 791, a connection piece for ribbon cables is disclosed wherein a contact housing includes a plurality of parallel guide channels and inside each guide channel there is provided a contact element with penetration contacts that can be displaced from a first locking position--in which the penetration contacts are outside the lateral slit within which the conductor is introduced--toward a second locking position in which the penetration contacts extend into the lateral slit for the purpose of electrically engaging the cable conductors.
The disadvantage inherent in this arrangement, which permits reliable guidance of the contact elements, results from the fact that the contacting elements are directly subjected to relatively high joining forces, so that there is some uncertainty as to the manner in which the contact elements can be shifted, particularly because of the anticipated sliding guidance within the channel owing to unavoidable tolerances.
A plug-in connector is furthermore known from the British patent No. 1,293,970 wherein a contacting element provided with a cutting edge is arranged in a slide member so that it can be displaced within the guide channel of a housing. The contact elements of the cutting connection are so arranged that they protrude inside the housing against damage, but securing the slide inside the guide channel and its mobility are uncertain owing to the unavoidable tolerances produced in the sliding guide means.
The present invention was developed to avoid the above and other drawbacks of the known multi-pole connectors.